Totally understand where you are coming from, as if you don't have prior HQ experience, the whole thing can feel like a black box and make you uneasy about committing to a decision. But I must caution you not to buy too much into the 'stereotypes' about various HQ divisions, and honestly just make an educated gamble and go in to learn as much as you can.

Some stereotypes you might hear are: CPDD is very traditional and hierarchical and moves very slow. ETD people are on call 24/7 and everytime some new digital trend pops up, they will kena turn out like firefighters to rush to the scene. AST is a place where people go to shake leg and retire.

While stereotypes often bear partial truth, there is nothing like going in without any pre-conceived biases, experiencing it for yourself and finding your groove to contribute, and forming your own impressions and conclusions about the organisation.